Pre-Orientation Adventure for Wildcats

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Will you be an incoming first year student at UNH in the fall or know of anyone that will be joining our campus next year? If so, PAWs is the perfect program to get an early start on your UNH experience! The Pre-Orientation Adventure for Wildcats is a 6-day, 5-night outdoor trip for incoming freshmen. This is a great trip to help students transition from high school and develop an early sense of involvement at UNH. PAWs will give you a head start on creating everlasting bonds and friendships within the wildcat community. Highly trained trip leaders will also be available to help with any questions or concerns prior to your arrival at UNH. Approximately 140 students arrive on campus early to take part in PAWs. Registration opened on April 1st so register while you can! The dates of this program will be 6 days prior to freshmen move in day. The cost of PAWs is $350 which includes all costs of food, lodging, group equipment, transportation, and instruction. You will also receive a free PAWs t-shirt!

PAWs participants will be split up into small groups of 8-10 students, each having two experienced group leaders. Students have the chance to choose between the basecamp and backpacking option. When choosing the basecamp option you will spend most of your time at Mendums Pond Outdoor Recreation Area which is just seven miles from Durham. You will get to take part in hiking, canoeing, exploring campus, and bonding with other incoming students and upper class group leaders. If you decide on the backpacking option you will spend 3 nights backpacking the White Mountains and enjoying beautiful scenery. You will start and finish at Mendums Pond to prepare for and reflect on your adventure. The PAWs program resembles college in many ways; it is a fun and exciting adventure but will also bring about new challenges that will need to be faced and resolved. If you want to create new friendships, learn more about UNH, get a jumpstart on your experience here, and challenge yourself in a new way, PAWs is for you! Get all the information you need as well as application information at the PAWs website.